ENG 302-01 Literature and Film

ENG 302-01 Literature and Film: Film Noir

Instructor: John Alberti Spring 2005

Office: LA 537

Office Hours: M-F 10-11

Phone: 859.572.5578

Class Web Site: www.nku.edu/~alberti/eng302

Class Objectives

This course is an introduction to the analysis of film art. The general goal of the class is to help you develop a deeper awareness of how movies are constructed and how movies derive from and influence our ways of seeing and understanding the world. The specific goal is to provide practice in the detailed analysis of and writing about film. As a way of highlighting these issues, we will look at examples of how literary sources have been adapted into films.

The focus of our course will be Film Noir, an important and influential type of American crime movie that developed in the post World War II Era. Movie critics and scholars have long been interested in how film noir developed a distinct look, style, and method of storytelling to express and explore issues of cultural conflict, anxiety, and uncertainty associated with the social and historical changes in America in the last half of the 20^th century.

In this class, we will watch several examples of film noir, from both its “classic” period as well as contemporary examples of “neo noir” films. We will also read some of the crime fiction that has influenced and has been influenced by film noir. In so doing, we will to explore the meaning of genre (film noir; detective fiction), the effect of storytelling in different media, and the development of film history.

Some central questions we will explore:

· What is a film genre?

· How successfully can we define film noir and noir fiction as genres?

· What does the enduring popularity of this genre of films and novels say about US cultural history?

Class Goals

Depending on your effort and commitment to the class, by the end of the semester you should be able to:

1. Understand and be able to use key terms and concepts in the analysis of film

2. Write critically about film and literature using these terms and concepts

3. Develop your awareness and critical understanding of film history

Required Texts

Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film, fifth edition

Cain, James M. Double Indemnity

Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep

Hughes, Dorothy B. In a Lonely Place

Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress

All texts are available at the NKU Bookstore, Campus Book and Supply, and on the Internet. Most of the novels should be available in other area bookstores as well.

Requirements

Individual Projects

Quizzes

I will begin several class sessions with a brief quiz on the assigned texts for the class. Each quiz will consist of three short answer questions worth five points each, with the exception of the first quiz, which will be a longer test based on A Short Guide to Writing About Film. I will assign points on the basis of the accuracy and thoroughness of each answer. I will give each quiz only once promptly at the start of class. At the end of the semester, I will assign grades for the quizzes according to your point total in relation to the total possible point total for all the quizzes.

Response Papers (1 page)

As a means of helping you process your viewing and reading experiences and practice film and literary analysis, I will ask you to write one-page responses to the films and novels. Each response should include at least four parts:

1. A description of what you thought was a crucial scene in either the film or the reading for that day.

2. An explanation of why you thought this scene was crucial.

3. A description of a key detail or technique in the scene that you found especially interesting, meaningful, or puzzling.

4. A question you think the film or reading raises about our attempts to define film noir or noir fiction.

I will collect these responses only at the beginning of class. I will only give full credit for on-time responses. I will grade your responses as pass/no pass on the basis of perceived effort, seriousness, and thoroughness. At the end of the semester, I will assign an overall letter grade for your responses based on the number of on-time, pass responses.

Independent/Alternative Movie Review (1-2 pages)

An important part of developing and deepening your movie-watching experience involves exploring film culture, especially in regards to films from outside the main US film production system (i.e., Hollywood).

This assignment asks you to attend at least one independent, alternative, and/or international movie at a venue other than a corporate multiplex theater and to write a review of the movie to pass out to the class. I will also ask you to speak briefly (3-5 minutes) to the class about the movie.

Each week I will pass out a list of possible movies in the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, focusing especially on movies being shown at the Esquire and Mariemont theaters, movies shown on campus, movie shown by the Cincinnati Film Society at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and movies shown by Cincinnati World Cinema. If you hear about a movie not on the list that you think might qualify, please feel free to ask me about it (City Beat is a great source of information about local screenings). Information about getting to the theaters and parking will be available on the class web site.

Note: The Battle of Algiers, which will be shown at 6:15 on Tuesday, February 14 in Budig Theater, will count for this assignment.

Your written review should follow the rhetorical guidelines described by Corrigan on pages 7-9 in Chapter One of A Short Guide to Writing About Film and should specifically address the needs and interest of members of our class: NKU students taking a film and literature course in film noir. You will also need to attach your ticket stub or program to your review. I will have a sign-up sheet listing review report dates, and you may sign up on a first come, first served basis.

Field Work Paper (3-5 pages) Due March 3

This paper asks you to explore your understanding of film noir and the issues we will study in class by discussing them with a friend or family member. Choose one of the films we will be watching in class or one of the films listed at the back of the syllabus and locate a video of it. Find a friend or family member and explain what film noir is as you understand it along with one or two of the issues we will raise in class. Then watch the film with that person and discuss it together afterword. Write an essay based on your experiences that explains what insights or ideas you gained by sharing what we are studying in class with another person. Be sure to cite specific details from the film and from the discussion.

Final Paper: Recommending a Noir Film (5-7 pages) Due Wednesday May 4 at noon

Write an essay arguing why a particular film of your choice can usefully be categorized as film noir based both on the issues we have been discussing in class and in comparison/contrast to at least two of the films we will watch in class. As part of your thinking about the film, you should read at least one significant review and/or critical article about the film to cite in your essay and on your works cited page. As part of the process of completing the assignment I will ask you to:

· Provide me with the name of the film you will be writing about and a one-paragraph explanation of why you are choosing this film (due February 23)

· A copy of the review(s) or critical article(s) you will be using in your essay (due April 7)

· Make a brief report on the final day of class about your essay.

All essays should be word-processed, double-spaced, and follow MLA guidelines or Chapter 7, “Manuscript Form,” from A Short Guide To Writing About Film. Essays will be graded on the basis of insight, creativity, effort, and presentation (proofreading and editing).

Collaborative Projects

Group Reports

Students will be organized into groups of four in order to complete one of the following projects. Reports will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. In addition to the class presentation, each group will hand in a printed version of the report (at least three pages). I will grade the overall report on the bases of effort, creativity, depth and complexity of the report, use of detail, and presentation (both the class and written presentations).

Analyzing a Scene Adapted from Book to Film (2-3 pages)

For this report the group will choose a particular scene from a film based on one of the novels we will be reading and analyze it in terms of how the film uses the different storytelling techniques of film to interpret the scene from the novel. Your report should make specific references to details from the novel and from the scene in the film. Your group will then turn in a written version of your report. The group as a whole will receive a grade on your report.

Social/Historical Context Report (2-3 pages plus Works Cited page)

You will research and report on one of the following topics as it relates to film noir:

· Gender roles in film noir

· Racial identity and film noir

· Sexual orientation and film noir

· Women in detective fiction

You may also pursue your own topic with my approval. Your group will then turn in a written version of your report. The group as a whole will receive a grade on your report.

Discussion Questions

Before each film in class I will ask the class a question to keep in mind while they watch the movie. After the movie, you will meet in small groups for ten to fifteen minutes to discuss the question. One member of the group will act as a note taker and facilitator and prepare a summary of the group’s response to present to the class as a whole. Each student will serve as note taker at least once during the semester. I will then collect these summaries and grade them on the basis of effort.

Grading

I will determine your final grade based on a combination of all the requirements listed above according to the grading criteria listed in the NKU catalog.

Important Advice

Because the films in class will only be screened once, attendance is vital. There is also a fair amount of out-of-class work required for this course, since you must write about specific shots or sequences in the films in your essays. This usually means reviewing a film on video either in the Media Center (SL 217) or at home. Some of the films will be placed on reserve in the Media Center after the screening, but you will need to find most of them on your own. If you cannot schedule out-of-class viewing time or do the searching needed to find a copy of a film, for this class, you should consider dropping it. You might consider forming small groups to watch films out-of-class.

As we know, viewing movies can be a powerful experience; this is part of why we watch and study them. Both the films and novels in class deal with a wide range of human experiences from many different perspectives in sometimes blunt and graphic ways. Some of the films to be shown are R-rated. Since viewing and writing about each film and novel is required for the course, anyone who feels he or she cannot read any of the novels or watch any of the films listed on the syllabus should not take this course.

Also, it is a good idea to review the amount of reading necessary for the course and begin early. The novels range in length from two hundred to five hundred pages, and it would be wise to plan your reading schedule ahead of time according to your needs and capabilities.

Writing Center

The NKU Writing Center provides assistance and support for students with any college writing assignment--essays, reports, research papers, etc. The Writing Center is staffed by skilled and experienced student consultants who guide and advise student writers through the writing process. Visit BEP 230 or call 859-572-5475 to register in TutorTrac and request a tutor.

Special Needs

Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or services) for this course must register with the Disability Services Office. Please contact the Disability Service Office immediately in the University Center, suite 320, or call 859-572-6373 for more information. Verification of your disability is required in the DSO for you to receive reasonable academic accommodation. Visit the DSO website at www.nku.edu/~disability/ for more information.

Honesty

The work you will do in this course is subject to the Student Honor Code. The Honor Code is a commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct, a commitment that, individually and collectively, the students of Northern Kentucky University will not lie, cheat, or plagiarize to gain an academic advantage over fellow students or avoid academic requirements.

Class Schedule

Please have reading assignments completed by the date on which they are listed below. The schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the class.

Week I

1/12: Introduction

Images of Noir

Film: Out of the Past

Week II

1/19: Issues in film noir

Read: Corrigan, Chapters One through Three.

Film: “Film Noir”

Week III

1/26: Film: Murder My Sweet

Week IV

2/2: Read: Double Indemnity

Week V

2/9: Film: Double Indemnity

Week VI

2/16: Read: The Big Sleep

Week VII

2/23: Read: The Big Sleep

Film: The Big Sleep

Due: Name of film for final essay.

Week VIII

3/2: Film: Kiss Me Deadly

Due: Field Work essay.

Week IX

3/9: Spring Break—No Class

Week X

3/16: No Class

Week XI

3/23: Read: In A Lonely Place

Week XII

3/30: Film: In a Lonely Place

Week XIII

4/6: Film: Chinatown

Due: Copy of review(s) and/or critical essay(s) to be used in your final essay

Week XIV

4/13: Read: Devil in a Blue Dress

Week XV

4/20: Film: Devil in a Blue Dress

Week XVI

4/27: Film: The Man Who Wasn’t There

Final essay due by noon on May 4